Chapter 25
Briggs
Three days ago, my father was arrested, and now I’m living with a woman I barely know in a house in a middle-class neighborhood, spending my days going over my dad’s files with the investigators. It’s my life, but it seems like someone else’s. It doesn’t even seem real.
“I like your room,” Ella says, sitting down on my bed. The room used to be an office when Susan’s ex-husband lived here. It still has the marks in the carpet where his desk used to be.
“I like it better with you in it.” I pull Ella onto my lap and kiss her.
“They’ll be back any minute,” she says.
Susan and Roy went out to get food. They’re bringing it back here, and we’re all going to have dinner.
Susan and Roy are dating again. I don’t know how it happened or what was said, but yesterday Roy showed up here at the house with flowers, and now they’re back together.
Ella and I got back together, too. It happened the day I moved out of my house.
I couldn’t wait to tell Ella what had happened, which was proof of how much I wanted her in my life, as more than a friend.
She’s the first person I want to tell stuff to, and the only person I really trust. I really do love her, but I’m going to wait to tell her.
She still doesn’t trust that what I tell her is true, which I totally get.
I need to earn her trust, and that’ll take time.
When she got home from school that day, I told her what had happened, then I told her we couldn’t be friends anymore.
She got this angry look on her face, and just as she was about to yell at me, I took her in my arms and told her we couldn’t be friends because I wanted more.
I told her how much she means to me and how being friends just isn’t enough.
I wanted her to be my girlfriend. She took forever to answer me, probably because she didn’t believe me, but then she kissed me, which was the answer I was hoping for.
“We can do a lot in a short amount of time,” I say, laying her back on the bed.
“Briggs, we can’t,” she says, smiling as I slide my hand up her skirt. I slip my fingers under her panties and feel she’s already wet from my kiss.
“I miss being with you,” I whisper in her ear.
We haven’t had sex since getting back together, and it’s killing me. I want her so damn bad, but we haven’t had any time alone.
“Maybe tomorrow,” she whispers back. It’s followed by a moan as I continue to touch her.
Tomorrow’s Friday, and we’ve already told her dad we’re going out after the game and won’t be home until late.
“Definitely tomorrow.” I kiss her — a slow, deep kiss that has her moaning even more, her hips rising, rubbing against my cock. I can’t take this. I want her, and I don’t want to wait.
“They’re home,” Ella says with a sigh as we hear the garage door open.
“Tomorrow,” I tell her as we get up from the bed. “We’ll go somewhere after the game.”
“We can’t. You have to go to the party.”
“I have to make an appearance. I don’t have to stay there all night.”
“I could meet you somewhere. Just text me when you’re leaving.”
“Why don’t you come with me?”
“To the party?” She laughs. “Yeah, right. I’m not even allowed at those parties.”
“You are if you’re with me.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Is this one of your pranks? I show up and then you do something to embarrass me?”
I look in her eyes. “Ella, I’m done with that shit. No more going back and forth between friends and enemies. I want to be with you, and only you, and I want people to know.”
“C’mon,” she says, taking my hand and walking to the door. “Let’s go have dinner.”
“Ella, stop.” I turn her around to face me. “I’m serious. I don’t want to hide this anymore. You’re my girlfriend and I don’t care if people know.”
“You’re the most popular guy in school. People worship you. You’d really risk giving that up? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you tell people.”
“I don’t care. I’m sick of those people and I don’t give a shit what they think of me. I’ll see them for what . . . a couple more months, and then I’ll probably never see them again.”
Ella smiles. “You’re really going to do this?”
“No — we are. I hope you don’t have a problem with public displays of affection.”
“I kind of do. Why? What are you planning?”
“I’m going to kiss you, in front of everyone, in a way that might just get us kicked out of school.”
“I don’t know about this,” she says, sounding hesitant.
“Why? You don’t want people to know about us?”
“I do. I just don’t want it causing even more problems for me. I was hoping to coast through the end of the year without being harassed.”
“Who would harass you?”
“The guys on your team. Aubrey. Scarlett. All the girls who want you for themselves.”
“I’ll deal with them. You have nothing to worry about.”
The door opens, and Roy’s standing there. “Time for dinner.” His brows draw together. “Why was the door closed?”
“I didn’t realize it was,” Ella says, passing by her dad as she leaves the room.
Roy eyes me. “You weren’t . . .”
“No,” I tell him, but I would’ve if he hadn’t come home.
He’s still not okay with me dating his daughter. I have to earn his trust, just like I’m trying to do with Ella.
* * *
Friday morning, when I get to school, people swarm around me as soon as I walk in the building. I’ve been gone all week, and by now everyone knows about the hit-and-run and my father being arrested.
People are firing questions at me, but I ignore them, my focus on the girl who’s constantly on my mind, and in my dreams, and who I really want to have sex with tonight.
One of the cheerleaders grabs hold of my arm. “Briggs, where have you been? Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” I look down at her hand on my arm. “You need to let go.”
She takes her hand off me and steps back, acting offended that I didn’t want her touching me. Sorry, bitch, I’m taken, and soon everyone will know.
I smile when I see Ella through the crowd, standing at her locker, struggling to open the door. She’s yanking on it, swearing at it, and looking a little crazy, but also fucking adorable.
“Need some help?” I say, coming up behind her.
The people who were following me stop, and the noise in the hallway lowers.
Before Ella can answer, I reach around her and yank open the door, then slam it shut.
“Hey!” She turns around, sees it’s me, and smiles.
I grab her around the waist and kiss her. I hear the gasps from the crowd, the whispering, the comments about how it must be a bet or some kind of joke.
Keeping the kiss going, I slip my tongue in her mouth, ignoring what’s going on around us and just focusing on Ella, and how she feels in my arms, how it feels to kiss her.
The bell goes off, and I slowly back away, smiling at her. “Think anyone figured it out?”
She laughs. “I think they have an idea.” She turns back to her locker to get her stuff.
“What the hell was that?” Aubrey says, storming up to me.
“What?” I put my arm around Ella’s waist as she closes her locker. “I was just kissing my girlfriend.”
“That,” she points to Ella, “is not your girlfriend.”
“I think I’d know that better than you.” I lean down and kiss Ella.
“Oh my God, disgusting!” Aubrey shrieks. “What is wrong with you? Are you high?”
“Let’s go,” I say to Ella, taking her hand. We turn away from Aubrey and head down the hall to class.
“Briggs!” Aubrey yells.
“She didn’t take it well,” Ella says with a smug smile.
“Ella!” someone yells.
I look back and see Charlotte racing up to Ella. “Oh my God, that was amazing! You should’ve seen everyone’s faces when they saw you with Briggs! And that kiss!” She fans herself. “So hot.”
Ella laughs. “I have to get to class. See you at lunch?”
“Yeah, bye!” She races off in the other direction.
“You’re not having lunch with me?” I ask Ella.
“I don’t think I’m allowed at your table.” She rolls her eyes.
I pull her into my side. “Hey, don’t be saying that shit. We’re not going back to how things were.”
“I was just kidding. But I would like to eat lunch with Charlotte. I don’t want her sitting alone.”
“She can sit with us.”
“At your table?”
“Yes. And it’s not my table. It’s just a table.”
“The A Table,” Ella says. “That’s what I used to call it.”
“Why?” I stop outside the classroom.
“We have to go in. We’re late.”
“Who gives a shit. Tell me why you called it that.”
“I kind of had a nickname for you.” She hesitates. “I called you A1, for asshole number one. Parker was A2 and Finn was A3.”
“I got the number one spot?” I smile.
“It fluctuated, depending on who was the biggest asshole. You were A2 for a while but then you started bullying me again about the valedictorian thing and you were back to being A1.”
“And what am I now?”
“You’re just Briggs. You’re not an A anymore, unless something changes and you go back to—”
“It’s not happening. I know you don’t believe me, and I know you still don’t trust me, but this is real, Ella. I’m going to prove that to you.”
And I will. I know I’ve gone back on my word in the past, but I’m committed this time.
I know Ella’s the girl for me. She saved me, in so many ways. I have a long way to go to earn her trust, but I will, because I don’t want to lose her.
We go to Mr. Walker’s class, and he sneers at Ella as she walks in late.
“Ms. Quinn, how many times—”
“She was with me,” I say. “Her locker was stuck. I was helping her get it open.”
“Fine, just take your seats,” Mr. Walker says. He turns back to the class. “As I was saying . . .”
“Sit with me,” I say to Ella as she turns to go to her row.
“I don’t have a seat back there,” she whispers.
“You will.” I take her hand and walk her back to my row. I look at the guy who sits next to me and give him a nod to move. He quickly gets up from his seat. “Go ahead,” I say to Ella, motioning to the open seat.
I smile at the shocked look on her face. She clearly doesn’t comprehend the power I have at this school, or maybe she didn’t think I’d still have it after I kissed her.
I was never worried about it. I’m a leader and always will be.
I make the rules, and people follow them.
It may sound cocky, but it’s true. People might be angry I’m with Ella, or shocked, but they’ll get over it, and things will go back to normal, except for Ella.
She’ll get a lot more attention being with me, but she can handle it.
If she could handle all the shit I’ve put her through, she can handle anything.